This invention relates to apparatus for compacting materials such as cotton or tissue paper or the like.
It is often necessary to compact or compress materials, such as cotton or tissue paper, either to conserve storage space or preliminary to disposing of such materials. If such materials are simply compacted by being compressed mechanically, means must be provided for permitting escape of the air trapped in the compression process. It is difficult to accomplish this, however, without also causing some of the material itself to be expelled into the environment. While there exist vacuum systems for removing air from material such systems have drawbacks. In particular, the shear exerted on the material by the stationary vacuum devices tends to impede the movement of the material along the line and thus adversely affects the operation of the system.